1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, and, more particularly, to an information processing apparatus having reduced number of operation keys.
2. Related Art
Recently, mobile terminals represented by mobile phones (or cellular phones) have been provided with various types of functions such as an address note function, a mail function through networks such as Internet, a browser function capable of accessing web pages, and the like, in addition to a simple communication function through a call.
As the mobile terminal is provided with a multifunction as described above, operation keys inherent to the respective functions must be provided. However, if the inherent operation keys are provided with respect to all the functions, the number of operation keys extremely increases.
To cope with this problem, there has been proposed a technology for reducing the number of operation keys by providing a software key in which one operation key has a plurality of functions and causing a user to operate the software key when respective functions are executed (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-14074).
However, in the conventional technology, not only the user must allocate a software key each time when a new function is added so that the user can operate the new function on a menu function, but also the user must newly allocate a software key for the new function in addition to existing software keys.
Accordingly, even if the software key, in which one operation key has a plurality of functions, is used, the number of operation keys still continuously increases because the mobile terminal is rapidly multifunctioned. In contrast, since the size of the mobile terminal is further reduced in consideration of a designed surface and portability, a lot of operation keys disposed to the mobile terminal are densely concentrated to a limited region. Therefore, it is inconvenient for the user to operate freely the operation keys.